National Census 2007: Updating our statistical base to refine development interventions

THE 12th Census of Population (Popcen) has started. To be conducted for 25 days this month, the Popcen is led by the National Statistics Office (NSO).


The NSO has mobilized over 37,000 census enumerators, 7,000 team supervisors, and 2,000 census area managers who will augment the field staff of the (NSO). These enumerators will cover every household nationwide to gather information such as the number of people residing in the house, age, sex, marital status, education, and other demographic, social, and economic characteristics.

Aside from households, institutional populations such as those in hospitals, penitentiaries, military camps, convents, and seminaries will also be covered. Household units in exclusive subdivisions and condominiums will also be enumerated, using a self-administered questionnaire to be filled up by the household head or any responsible member of the household.

We urge the public to actively participate in the census. By allotting some time to enable the enumerators to gather the information or to fill out the self-administered forms, every responsible household member will contribute to the updating of the statistics that will guide the development efforts of the government. As pointed out in Executive Order No. 121, the Reorganization Act of the Philippine Statistical System, the census information is important in the formulation of national and local development plans and programs.

We commend the National Statistics Office, led by Administrator Carmelita N. Ericta, and their partners in the census, chiefly local statistics coordinating councils, for effectively preparing and taking on the challenge of the gigantic task that is the 12th Census of Population.

Lapus wants mandatory aptitude test for students

By Beverly T. Natividad - Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- In a bid to reduce what some call a mismatch between available jobs and the products of the country’s education system, the Department of Education now wants to make mandatory the taking of the National Career Assessment Exam (NCAE) by Filipino students.

In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Thursday, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said that the department is now working on a bill to this effect and, at the same time, is looking for a sponsor at the lower house to facilitate its passage.

“We are preparing to file a bill to have it (NCAE) legislated and therefore, mandatory,” said Lapus.

The NCAE, he said, is one of his attempts towards changing the mind-sets of Filipinos who think that only a college diploma -- albeit stemming from a college education that is not compatible with their capabilities -- is the only way to have a productive work career.

“We are too fixated on this [college diploma], while other countries are not,” said Lapus.

The DepEd’s NCAE was given last January 17 to about 1.4 million fourth year high school students in 10,148 high schools nationwide. These examinations are intended to help students decide what courses to pursue in college or seek vocational education instead.

The results of the January examinations, said Lapus, show that the bulk of the takers have stronger inclinations and aptitudes for technical-vocational programs, and are therefore fit to pursue careers other than those based on a four-year college degree.

DepEd data showed that out of the almost 1.4 million high school students that took the NCAE, about 54% or 711,526 students scored high for technical-vocational programs.

Lapus said the DepEd has already started to strengthen its Technical-Vocational Education Curriculum in secondary schools in order to respond to these results. Technical-vocational curriculum focuses on skills development to prepare the students for employment after school.

The DepEd’s technical-vocational program covers various areas of specialization such as in arts and trade, agriculture and fishery.

Nearly 1.8 million high school students are expected to take the next NCAE on August 28, 2007.

LandBank opens P3b worth of credit facility

Land Bank of the Philippines has launched a P3-billion wholesale credit facility to support environment and farm projects and small and medium enterprises.

Land Bank’s countryside loan fund, called credit support for the environment, agribusiness and small and medium enterprises, aims to improve the access of borrowers to medium and long-term lending needed for agriculture and environmental projects.

It is also designed to intensify the bank’s support to priority sectors, mainly farmers, fisherfolk and small and medium enterprises.

“Through the CLF-CREAM, we hope to be able to expand our credit outreach and support more high-impact development projects that contribute to job generation, promote environmental protection and support entrepreneurship,” says LandBank president and chief executive Gilda Pico.

The fund is open to commercial, thrift and rural banks as well as nonbank financial institutions accredited under a similar program funded by the World Bank before.

Banks and non-bank financial institutions can re-lend the funds to sole-proprietorships, partnerships and corporations as well as cooperatives and associations that are at least 70-percent Filipino-owned.

LandBank has earmarked P3 billion for the facility, which is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The bank can lend as much as P300 million to a sub-borrower, which can use the funds for working capital and fixed asset requirements.

LandBank reported a net income of P1.05 billion in the first quarter of the year, up 16 percent from a year ago, on track to meet its P4-billion target for the year.

Loan portfolio grew 6 percent to P155.12 billion during the period while deposits expanded 19 percent to P280.83 billion.

LandBank has been shifting loans to priority sectors, specifically farmers and fisherfolk, microenterprises, environment projects and infrastructure, among others.

Loans to priority sectors hit P80.1 billion in the first quarter of the year, accounting for 69 percent of total loans from P77.4 billion or 65 percent in the same period last year.

Pico said the bank had established a P1-billion equity investment program to support microfinance operations in the countryside.

Why have sex? Researchers count 237 ways

WASHINGTON -- After exhaustively compiling a list of the 237 reasons why people have sex, researchers found that young men and women get intimate for mostly the same motivations.

It is more about lust in the body than a love connection in the heart.

US college-aged men and women agree on their top reasons for having sex -- they were attracted to the person, they wanted to experience physical pleasure and “it feels good,” according to a peer-reviewed study in the August edition of Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Twenty of the top 25 reasons given for having sex were the same for men and women.

Expressing love and showing affection were in the top 10 for both men and women, but they did take a back seat to the clear No. 1: “I was attracted to the person.”

Researchers at the University of Texas spent five years and their own money to study the overlooked “why” behind sex while other researchers were spending their time on the “how.”

Stereotypes refuted

“It’s refuted a lot of gender stereotypes . . . that men only want sex for the physical pleasure and women want love,” said University of Texas clinical psychology professor Cindy Meston, the study’s coauthor. “That’s not what I came up with in my findings.

"We found that people are having sex for lots of other reasons" beyond sheer arousal or a drive for procreation, said Meston.

Alongside predictable claims such as "I was 'horny'," "I was drunk," and "I was in love," was a catalogue of other "infrequent" justifications, from the sublime to the shocking.

Among them: "I wanted to get closer to God," "I felt sorry for the person," "I wanted to punish myself," and "I was slumming."

Both men and women reported doing it to get a job or promotion, or because they wanted to be "used or degraded."

Another response stated: "I wanted to give someone else a sexually transmitted disease."
Some claimed it was an aid to good sleep or even a headache cure.

A few respondents claimed they had done it because they wanted to have children.

“The more we look, the more we find similarity,” said Dr. Irwin Goldstein, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego.

Goldstein, who was not part of Meston’s study, said the Texas research made a lot of sense and adds to growing evidence that the vaunted differences in the genders may only be among people with sexual problems.

Meston and colleague David Buss first questioned 444 men and women -- ranging in age from 17 to 52 -- to come up with a list of 237 distinct reasons people have sex.

The reasons ranged from “It’s fun,” which men ranked fourth and women ranked eighth, to “I wanted to give someone else a sexually transmitted disease” which was ranked at the bottom by women.

Once they came up with that long list, Meston and Buss asked 1,549 college students taking psychology classes to rank the reasons on a one-to-five scale on how they applied to their experiences.

More opportunistic

“None of the gender differences are all that great,” Meston said. “Men were more likely to be opportunistic toward having sex, so if sex were there and available they would jump on it, somewhat more so than women. Women were more likely to have sex because they felt they needed to please their partner.”

But this is among college students among whom Meston conceded “hormones run rampant.” She predicted huge differences when older groups of people are studied.

Meston acknowledged the study was largely limited to the sexual habits of students and also that people might have been reluctant to cite socially unacceptable motivations, such as the desire to make money or punish a partner.

But she plans further studies in the future.

Since her study came out Tuesday, people are coming up with new reasons to have sex.

“Originally, I thought that we exhaustively compiled the list, but now I found that there should be some added,” Meston said.

"You need to know why people are having sex if you're trying to put into place a safe-sex program," Meston said.

"If you assume people have sex because they're in the heat of the moment, then (you tell them to) carry condoms. But if they're doing it for revenge or because they want to enhance their social status, that will require a different strategy."

Associated Press, Agence France-Presse

Registration for dual polls starts Sunday

By William B. Depasupil, Manila Times Reporter

UNLESS postponed by an act of Congress, the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections would push through on October 29, said Commission on Elections spokesman Dir. James Jimenez Thursday.

Jimenez said voters’ registration for the coming polls would begin on Sunday and would run for a week, or until July 22.

As stipulated in Comelec Resolution No. 8228, people aged 18 and above on October 29, election day, may either register as first time voters or apply for transfer.

For the SK elections, people aged 15 to 17 may also register and vote, provided that they meet the six months residency requirement in the barangay units where they intend to vote.

Jimenez explained that if one has already turned 18 on or before the SK elections, he or she is disqualified to register or vote.

The barangay and SK elections were originally scheduled in October 2006 but was postponed by Congress because no funds were available.

Earlier, Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. said it would be better to scrap the barangay election and instead empower that municipal and city mayors to appoint the barangay officials.

“Barangay elections are divisive. There were many instances in the past that close family members were pitted against each other, destroying in the process close family relations,” Abalos said.

He said barangay elections also use up money that could be used instead to build more schools, farm-to-market roads and other vital projects.

There are 41,975 barangays in the country and the same number of SK councils. The Comelec would be spending between P2.5 billion and P3.5 billion for the simultaneous elections.

Big bucks trade

Juan Mercado - www.inquirer.net
"The flight schedule was pinned on the wall. And the pimps argued that they had an understanding with 'the chief,'" recalled the team fielded by Fr. Shay Cullen. "But the cops who came with us were from another station."

As payoff discussions raged, the Preda team sped off with a mother and a child. "If only we could have rescued all the girls, it'd have been a great day's work," the Preda team said. "Unfortunately, that was impossible. They were all teenagers. And one had a baby."

Welcome to what the US Department of Justice ranks as the third largest criminal enterprise worldwide: human trafficking. It is big bucks. "Traders" rake in $9.5 billion yearly in sleaze, the United Nations Development Fund for Women's Noeleen Heyzer said at an Asian Development Bank meeting.

Trafficking ranges from prostitution and debt bondage to forced labor and exploitation of children as sex slaves or soldiers. In this grim underground bazaar, firm data are hard to come by. "The stigma placed on victims of sexual exploitation" is one reason. There isn't "even a name for the problem at community level." Few victims are aware of their rights.

The extent is under-reported, but what emerges jolts. Fifty-four out of every 100 trafficked Filipino children are between 15 and 17 years old. "Guesstimates" of the number of child prostitutes range from 60,000 to 100,000.

In Joey Velasco's "Hapag Ng Pagasa" ["Table of Hope"] painting of 12 street kids at dinner with Christ on a slum table, one model -- Tinay, 5 -- had been repeatedly raped. "She has this faraway look," wails the aunt.

Globally, 12.3 million migrants are enslaved or in sexual servitude at any one time, says the International Labor Organization. Massive poverty, corruption and armed conflict force-feed desperate migrants, in ever greater numbers, into affluent nations that in "an age of migration alarm" are closing borders.

Girls from the villages of Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines are lured into cities or abroad with pledges of well-paying jobs. Many end up in brothels. "It is not acceptable to have a crisis of survival where the only way out for a family to survive is by trafficking their daughters," Heyzer added.

"We will leave your family P3,000, which will be your usual salary in Cebu," the recruiter told the teenager, University of Nevada's Riki Repanis recalls in "Prostitution, Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery in the Philippines." The ill father rose to hug his daughter, crying: "Be careful, be careful." All nine siblings wept. But the girl insisted that she must go and help her family. "So they went to Cebu and were brought to Kamagayan, the old place of prostitution in Cebu City. That first night, she was raped by eight men."

Government disbanded its airport anti-trafficking team a month ago. Why? Because every manjack trafficked. Read and squirm over what the US State Department asserted in its "Trafficking Persons Report" of June 2007:

"The Philippines is a source, transit and destination country for men, women and children trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. A significant number of Filipino men and women, who migrate for work, are subjected to involuntary servitude in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Africa, North America and Europe.

"Women and children are trafficked within the Philippines, primarily from rural areas in the Visayas and Mindanao, to urban areas. (They do) forced labor as domestic and factory workers, and in the drug trade, and for sexual exploitation.

"A smaller number of women are occasionally trafficked from the People's Republic of China, South Korea, Japan and Russia to the Philippines for sexual exploitation... Foreign tourists, particularly other Asians, sexually exploit women and children."

Cebu City is a major destination point for traffickers. Samar, Bohol, Leyte and Negros Occidental record a rising number of victims. So do a number or Mindanao cities.

Some traffickers harness the Internet for their operations. "Many women end up working for pornography websites where they perform sexual acts in front of webcams for paying customers."

Countries need to "raise public awareness and create public outrage," adds Heyzer. And they must "make it difficult for traffickers to operate with impunity."

The Philippine record is mixed. In Olongapo City, foreign sex traffickers harass Catholic and other groups by lodging multiple libel and other suits. A major target has been Father Cullen and his hospices for the abused. Department of Justice officials seek to blunt this harassment.

The Philippines was the first country to adopt in 2003 an Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. And Quezon City Regional Trial Court Judge Teodoro Bay sentenced a couple to 160 years in prison for peddling "starlets" to moneyed sex trade clients. There are seven convictions now.

Overall the Philippines has enough laws, says the Nevada University study. "The problem is implementation."

In Cebu, a task force operated ineptly. Police were untrained. Lawyers lacked understanding of the new law. "The net effect seems to be punishment of the girls, not the perpetrators."

"They sit there and look, like this [Cebu] 'barangay' [neighborhood district] official," the Nevada University study quotes a nun helping girls trapped in the red light district. "But he has his own bars. Many of the brothels there are owned by policemen. 'Oh, he is my customer,' a girl will tell us. And now, he is the one who imprisons me."

Anti-corruption Internet site launched

Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON -- A grouping of companies launched Wednesday a website dedicated to collecting information about officials and governments around the world who seek bribes.

The US-based Trace International, a non-profit grouping of multinational firms, said their new website Bribeline.org will allow people or organizations to anonymously report bribe requests.

Trace said its intent is not to collect names, to deal with those who offer or pay bribes, to investigate cases or to take legal action.

The organization wants to collect information on bribe-seeking that can be compiled eventually into detailed country reports to "shine a spotlight on trouble spots" and that companies can use to manage their risks.

"This is not a law enforcement tool," said Michelle Gavin, a member of Trace's administrative board.

Trace wants to "shine a light on the demand side of bribery," she said at a news conference.

People can report bribe-seeking by filling in an online form of no more than 10 multiple-choice questions on the Bribeline site.

Gavin admitted that whatever data Bribeline collects would not be an accurate statistical representation of any general situation, because the data it receives will all be submitted voluntarily.

Moreover, she said there is the risk of "malicious reporting" of bribe-seeking that would distort the picture, "although we think it is low."

For Sale Prime Subic Subdivision lot

Prime Subic Subdivision lot with panoramic view of Subic Bay

Greetings!

I would like to offer my 277 m2 vacant lot in Alta Vista Subdivision in Subic and fronting Baloy Beach in Barretto, Olongapo.

The lot is in a prime location because it is only 5 lots from the fully equipped clubhouse and is located in the bayside giving the lot a panoramic view of Subic Bay.

The project was jointly developed by GP Homes and Sta Lucia.

The owner developer has stopped selling the prime lots and are now only offering house and lot packages starting at P8.5m to P10.5m and with lot size starting at 240 m2.

The lot value is around P1.850m, but for a quick sale, I am willing to sell at P1.5m.

I am the owner and the title is clean.

Thank you for your time, please advise if you are interested or if your know someone, please pass the information.

R. Teodoro
*best number to reach me is 0926-6886888
or email address at rt_properties@hotmail.com

Developer invites IT outsourcing firms to locate in Clark

PASIG CITY, Philippines -- A developer that has announced a 3,000-square-meter office space in the Clark Special Economic Zone, has invited outsourcing firms to consider locating in its facility.

Berthaphil Inc. representative Peter Herman said the property will start accepting occupants by the end of July.

This new facility is part of an IT office park the company is building on the former US base.

The developer said the 3,000-square-meter facility can be expanded in 500-square-meter increments as business expands, said Herman in a statement.

"This provides great flexibility for BPO service providers that need to be prepared to expand operations quickly in response to client demand," Herman said.

"We've provided a footprint that allows operators to add approximately 60 seats almost on demand, quickly and efficiently. That's an enormous benefit for both BPO contractors and shared services facility operators," he added.

Berthaphil said it was offering locators purpose-designed space for training and recruitment while facilities are being fitted out.

"We want our locators to have the resources they need to make their CSEZ operations successful from the start, so we make these facilities available to them. When the doors open to their new space, they can begin operations immediately, and immediately begin earning a return on their investment," Herman said.

The developer had developed an industrial park which is home to light manufacturers and semiconductor firms from Japan, Taiwan and the United States.

Herman said the plans call for the 14-hectare IT park to eventually offer outsourcing-ready space.

Berthaphil will develop almost 15 hectares of space in the CSEZ.

By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net

RP BPO firms getting ready for next 3 years

MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine business process outsourcing (BPO) companies are setting new goals and improving existing ones that aim to keep the industry going for the next two years.

The multi-faceted plan is being developed by the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and taps into three specific components, namely talent development, search for physical locations and creating a stable business environment.

A glimpse of the BPAP Roadmap 2010 was presented by it CEO Oscar Sanez during the opening ceremonies of the ongoing Call Center Conference Exposition 2007 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Mandaluyong City.

As it is still under the second phase of development, Sanez said the BPAP Roadmap 2010 is set to be official released by the fourth quarter of 2007.

Sanez said the strategy involves not just the BPAP members but also the local communities, education institutions and local government units to ensure its success.

Under the talent development component, Sanez noted that a major problem was mismatch between the location of the potential hires and the center, followed by the problem of top talents such as engineering, accounting and nursing graduates moving to other countries.

The talent component strategy should focus on increasing financial aid to students, improve work and study flexibility, launch continuous training campaigns that are relevant to industry requirements, and developing competency tests for students and trainers in schools.

A radical approach to the problem of hiring shortage involves opening up recruitment to non-traditional talents, such as high school graduates, college dropouts and housewives, thus the need for strict competency tests.

For the location component, BPAP will be developing a set of products that identify and evaluate areas considered as "next wave" cities where startups and expanding BPOs can build new locations.

The reporting of "next wave" cities will contain the number of companies already operating in specific cities, telecommunications readiness, physical landscape, available expertise and possible challenges.

Lastly, for the business environment component, BPAP intends to beef up perception regarding the Philippines as location for operators. In so doing, the group intends to conduct risk perception survey of locators, build success case studies and launch industry-wide campaigns to address intellectual property, Internet security, among
others.

Government involvement falls under the business environment component wherein local government units can have buy-in of locators, utilization of Bureau of Investments' "One Stop Action Centers," and lobbying to retain or protect current incentive programs.

By Alexander Villafania - INQUIRER.net

7 new Wonders of the World chosen

By Barry Hatton
Associated Press


LISBON, Portugal -- The Great Wall of China, Rome's Colosseum, India's Taj Mahal and three architectural marvels from Latin America were among the new seven wonders of the world chosen in a global poll released on Saturday.

Jordan's Petra was the seventh winner. Peru's Machu Picchu, Brazil's Statue of Christ Redeemer and Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid also made the cut.

About 100 million votes were cast by the Internet and cellphone text messages, said New7Wonders, the nonprofit organization that conducted the poll.

The seven beat out 14 other nominated landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, Easter Island in the Pacific, the Statue of Liberty, the Acropolis, Russia's Kremlin and Australia's Sydney Opera House.

The pyramids of Giza, the only surviving structures from the original seven wonders of the ancient world, were assured of retaining their status in addition to the new seven after indignant Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace they had to compete.

The campaign to name new wonders was launched in 1999 by the Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber. Almost 200 nominations came in, and the list was narrowed to the 21 most-voted by the start of 2006. Organizers admit there was no foolproof way to prevent people from voting more than once for their favorite.

A Peruvian in national costume held up Macchu Picchu's award to the sky and bowed to the crowd with his hands clasped, eliciting one of the biggest cheers from the audience of 50,000 people at a soccer stadium in Portugal's capital, Lisbon.

Many jeered when the Statue of Liberty was announced as one of the candidates. Portugal was widely opposed to the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Another Swiss adventurer, Bertrand Piccard, pilot of the first hot-air balloon to fly nonstop around the world, announced one of the winners -- then launched into an appeal for people to combat climate change and stand up for human rights before being ushered off the stage.

The Colosseum, the Great Wall, Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal and Petra had been among the leading candidates since January, while the Statue of Christ Redeemer received a surge in votes more recently.

The Statue of Liberty and Australia's Sydney Opera House were near the bottom of the list from the start.

Also among the losing candidates were Cambodia's Angkor, Spain's Alhambra, Turkey's Hagia Sophia, Japan's Kiyomizu Temple, Russia's Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral, Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle, Britain's Stonehenge and Mali's Timbuktu.

Weber's Switzerland-based foundation aims to promote cultural diversity by supporting, preserving and restoring monuments. It relies on private donations and revenue from selling broadcasting rights.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, keeps a list of World Heritage Sites, which now totals 851 monuments. But the agency was not involved in Weber's project.

The traditional seven wonders were concentrated in the Mediterranean and Middle East. That list was derived from lists of marvels compiled by ancient Greek observers, the best known being Antipater of Sidon, a writer in the 2nd century B.C.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Pharos lighthouse off Alexandria have all vanished.

P1.5-B school launches ‘pay later’ plan for seamen

By Marlon Ramos - Inquirer

CALAMBA CITY—Almer Postor’s dream of becoming a seafarer and earning enough for his family now looms larger than ever.

The reason: The opening of a new P1.5-billion maritime school in a sprawling industrial park here where Postor is now enrolled on a scholarship.

Postor is actually among the first batch of students enrolled at the NYK-TDG Maritime Academy (NTMA) whose opening last Friday was graced by President Macapagal-Arroyo and officials of the Japanese government.

NYK stands for Nippon Yusen Kaisha, a Japanese shipping company considered to be the oldest in the world and the largest in Asia.

TDG, or Transnational Diversified Group, is a Filipino-owned company which serves as the local partner of NYK.

Capt. Antonio Dael, dean of the Center for Shipboard Training and Continuing Education at NTMA, said one of the main thrusts of the maritime school is to help poor but intelligent students like Postor fulfill their dreams of becoming successful merchant marine officers.

Dael said the school has a “study now, pay later” plan where students may enroll without having to pay all the tuition up front.

He said the tuition ranges from P70,000 to P75,000 per semester, which includes board and lodging.

He said 90 percent of the 120 students who belong to the first batch of NTMA enrollees had availed themselves of student loans.

Postor, 17, was able to enroll at NTMA because of a scholarship from NYK-Fil Ship Management Inc. (NYK-Fil), one of the biggest manning agencies for seafarers in the country.

Dael said the establishment of the school was actually the brainchild of NYK-Fil, which provides seafarers for NYK.

Healthy environment

Located at the foot of scenic Mt. Makiling, the school offers a healthy environment for students.

Aside from the school’s five buildings, it also has a 10-foot deep large swimming pool which allows students to have real-life “on sea activities” like operating a lifeboat.

Dael said because of their commitment to develop highly skilled seafarers, the school installed state-of-the-art equipment to better prepare their students for their shipboard training.

In addition to dummy engine rooms of ships, laboratories and classrooms required in maritime schools, NTMA built a modern bridge which allows students to experience what it is like to navigate a ship.

A bridge is the “cockpit” of large sea vessels where the navigation room for the captain and his crew is located.

Situated on the third floor of the Mariner’s Building, a building built to look like a ship, the mock bridge has five projector screens which move as the student navigates the ship.

First of its kind

Dael said their bridge simulator is the first of its kind in the country.

“In an instant, a student can navigate through the Singapore Strait or any other location in the world. It is as close as real bridges,” he explained.

The school also has a fully operational engine room, speech laboratories, radar room, computer room and 12 classrooms.

Designed to be a boarding school, NTMA has 90 rooms which can accommodate 360 students at a time.

He said unlike other schools, NTMA will limit its students to only 120 per school year.

As a four-year college course, students are required to take up three years of academic schooling and one year of shipboard training.

At present, the school offers the BS Marine Transportation course for those who want to be ship captains and BS Marine Engineering for cadets aspiring to become chief engineers.

Dael said apart from their academic load, students enrolled at NTMA are also required to spend two-hour reading session in the library.

On school days, the cadets should likewise complete a two-hour duty as guards.

Dael said this is to discipline the students and prepare them for the life of a seafarer.

He said NYK had also ordered the construction of four ships just for the use of their students.

Job demand

A few years back, NYK-Fil saw the increasing demand for seamen as a result of the construction of new sea vessels worldwide.

Dael explained that the imminent lack of ship personnel was based on a five-year study done by the Baltic International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the world’s biggest organization of private shipping companies.

He said for NYK alone, there would be 10,000 new job offerings as the company’s current fleet of 750 ships would be increased by around 130 ships.

This means that students of NTMA are assured of jobs after graduation, he said.

Most popular

“Shipping remains to be the most popular, most practical and safest mode of transporting goods today,” he said.

And Dael said the prospects for a better life for Filipino seafarers were high because “Filipinos remain to be the nationality of choice of foreign shipping lines.” (See Global Pinoy, Page A23.)

As of 2005, Filipinos accounted for more than 28 percent of all maritime officers employed by shipping companies.

A far second were Russians who make up 6.8 percent of the total seafarers in the world.

P1.7-B remittance

Dael said records from government agencies showed that Filipino seamen remitted more than $1.7 billion last year.

He said only the demand for nurses topped seafarers among the opportunities open to Filipinos abroad.

A starting third mate (the lowest rank of merchant marine officer) receives an average monthly salary of $1,500 to $1,800.

A ship captain, on the other hand, gets $4,000 to $6,000 a month.

Postor said he still could not believe that he’s only a few years away from achieving his life-long dream.

The school will be conducting entrance exams for the second batch of NTMA students on Oct. 27. Interested individuals may contact the school at 049-549-0923 and 049-549-0933.

Ladderized education pushed

THE Commission on Higher Education yesterday said 98 percent of state colleges and universities are already implementing the government’s ladderized educational program.

CHED Commissioner Dr. Nona Ricafort, who leads the implementation of ladderized education, said CHED’s agenda is to increase the number of private higher educational institutions offering ladderized education.

“So far, only 35 percent of private colleges and universities are ladderized,” Ricafort, one of the guest speakers at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization sponsored forum in Greenhills, San Juan, told reporters.

“We’re targeting to increase the number to 60 to 70 percent by next school year,” Ricafort said.

Earlier CHED, in coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development, worked for the “ladderization” of eight college programs.

These include Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management, Nursing, Information and Communication Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Marine Transport and Engineering, Agricultural Technology, Criminology, and Technical Teaching Education.

The system was designed to help students taking technical and vocational programs to obtain a college education through an unconventional route.

Ricafort said through the ladderization program, students who were unable to finish college can still be hired in a tech-voc job. Jeffrey Tiangco

In the oil industry, Smuggling may deter new investments

By MYRNA M. VELASCO - Manila Bulletin

The worsening problem of smuggling enmeshing the oil industry is seen hampering inflow of more investments in the sector.

This was an opinion shared by Pilipinas Shell country chairman Edgar O. Chua as he called on the government to intensify efforts to rein in such illegal activities pervasive in the industry.

In line with this direction, he proposed the creation of a task force that shall focus on solving, and possibly ending, the industry’s smuggling problem; as he noted that such activities do not only deny the government of much-needed taxes but also endangers consumers because of questionable quality of the smuggled oil products.

Chua said he put forward such proposal in a recent meeting with Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla; citing that competitive forces will not reign rightly in the industry if rampant cases of smuggling are not resolved.

The Shell executive explained that competitive forces in the industry can be distorted by smuggling "because they can underdeclare their value and volume;" consequently, these considered pseudo-industry players can sell their pump products cheaper; even at P20 per liter; which is almost half the price of gasoline products.

The Department of Energy (DoE) has initiated various efforts in the past to solve oil smuggling; but it had its hands tied because this is a responsibility it shares with other government agencies, like the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Bureau of Customs, among others.

"We should recognize that it is happening. The industry and the DoE can’t do it alone. A no non-sense task force should be in place to target these oil smugglers," Chua said.

For several times in the past, the energy department has been constantly challenged to make public the entities or companies involved in oil smuggling; as this could serve as an initial step to restrain the perpetrators.

A study previously undertaken by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) indicated that the government incurred P1.1 billion of foregone revenues from 1999 to 2001 alone because of smuggling.

Since then, it was noted that smuggling activities have not been diffused; instead, it just worsen over the years.

At that time, the energy department thought of pushing for a penal cause on smuggling (with extreme penalties) that shall be incorporated as part of the amendments in the Oil Deregulation Law.

Previous studies have also listed several hotspots for oil smuggling; including the ports of Subic, Bataan, Manila Bay, Cebu, General Santos and Davao plus free ports and economic zones which are accorded special privileges.

The other channels identified are through the depots in the coastal areas and barges plying the Pasig River; and at the distribution level, through distributors selling to independent traders, small retail outlets or makeshift drum-pump retail stations with huge price discounts. (MMV)

RP as ASPAC educ hub?

By: Egay Serrano
PRIMA FACIE - Journal

The good news daw is that the Philippines is fast emerging as the newest educational hub in the Asia-Pacific region as a result of the continuing influx of foreign students in various schools of the country with 2006 Bureau of Immigration records showing more than 30,000 foreign students had secured special study permits and student visas.

The bad news is that according to former Education secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, “half of the country’s student population is not even in school,” adding that the tragedy is manifested in the very fundamental problems of access, a high drop-out rate, and a very low reading proficiency.

Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said Koreans account for about 95 percent of the foreign students, mostly minors and teenagers enrolled in various private schools and learning centers throughout the country.

This is one bit of good news for Koreans who have discovered that tuition rates here in Manila are more affordable for them compared to the high cost of getting a good, English-based education in their own country. Aren’t we rejoicing on the wrong side of the issue?

While foreigners are taking advantage of the comparatively low tuition in the country’s privately-run schools, the grim reality remains that millions of Filipino students could not even afford to go to school.

Out of 10 students entering Grade 1, six will complete the elementary course, four will get through high school, and two will enter college, according to the Department of Education. “We do not know if the two who will enter college will get a degree or even a job,” says Alice Alafriz Pañares, deputy director of the DepEd’s National Educators Academy of the Philippines.

To stem the drop-out rate among school children who come from poor families, the Department of Social Welfare and Development has come up with a band-aid approach, which is essentially what’s in place, in resolving the crisis in the country’s educational system.

Poor parents will soon have a very compelling reason to take their children to school everyday, says DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral since a child who logs perfect or at least 85 percent class attendance in a month will get P300 for the family; while a trip to the health center every month would add P500 to the household kitty.

The monetary incentives will be offered to families belonging to the “poorest of the poor,” in order to break the vicious cycle of poverty and illiteracy in the country, said Secretary Cabral in a press briefing on Thursday.

A family will receive the P300 monthly allowance for each child—either in elementary or high school—who is able to complete at least 17 school days in a month. At least three children per household could avail themselves of the program.

A family could make as much as P15,000 annually which, according to Cabral might, would serve as enough incentive for parents to keep their kids in school instead of enlisting them to work at home or in the fields.

For a long-term solution to be had, government and private sector should work together in addressing the decline in the quality of education, especially at the elementary and secondary levels; and resolving affordability of getting our youth to schools and the big disparity in educational achievements across social groups. For example, the socio-economically disadvantaged students have higher drop-out rates, especially in the elementary level.

Government should also allocate the highest proportion of its budget to education, while private sector and industry groups should help in correcting a large proportion of “mismatch” between training and actual jobs resulting in the existence of a large group of educated unemployed or underemployed.

We can only lay claim to being the education hub in this part of the world if we ourselves can educate our own people.

CHEd, printing office develop fool-proof diploma

By Michael Lim Ubac - Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- The government is determined to wipe out the Recto diploma mill which through the years has catered to millions of out of school and undergraduate Filipinos, including overseas workers, pretending to hold college degrees.

The National Printing Office (NPO) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) signed a memorandum of agreement Thursday for the printing of “highly securitized paper” for college diplomas.

NPO, the agency that prints government forms, said the same security features applied in the printing of ballots, election returns and certificates of canvass would be incorporated in the manufacture of diplomas.

This will include the use of water marks, bar code and other high-tech printing technology previously utilized only in the printing of currencies such as the peso and dollar bills.

“Our aim is to put them out of business, and that people will no longer patronize them,” said NPO chief Felipe Evardone, summing up the government's response to the ready made counterfeit college diplomas peddled along a stretch of Claro M. Recto Avenue in Manila.

Evardone said the “Recto University” has given “a bad name to the patriot and statesman” Claro M. Recto, and the country as well.

According to Evardone, some higher institutions of learning have complained of lecturers and even professors gaining teaching positions by virtue of a fake Ph.D. or master's degree.

C. M. Recto Avenue has been home to a thriving diploma mill where an ostensible University of the Philippines diploma could be had for about P1,500.

Throw in a few more P100 bills and you have a newly minted TOR, or transcript of records, complete with flat 1 grades, and signatures of college secretary, university chancellor and president for authenticity.

Evardone said the Recto phenomenon, which blossomed during martial law, could be blamed on Filipino's ingenuity and of course the high premium put on education by society -- not to mention some people’s warped values.

For some people, getting the easy and less-expensive route appears palatable, he said.

“Also, it is easy to fake college diplomas. In Recto, they have people with a golden hand, plus the advent of computers allowed them to cut and past signatures of school officials.”

The Manila City Hall has repeatedly raided these labyrinth of counterfeiters, to no avail, recalled Evardone.

So the best way to defeat them is for the government to go high-tech, thus cutting the supply side, he said.

On the demand side, government should prove that those who will avail themselves of their services will face “risk and embarrassment,” he added.

Dropouts take DepEd alternative

MANILA, Philippines -- You don’t have to be a world boxing champ in order to pass the Department of Education’s Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) test and get a high school diploma.

You can avail yourself of the DepEd’s Alternative Learning System (ALS), a practical option to the existing formal instruction for out-of-school youths and adults aged 16 years and over.

Since 2004, out-of-school youths have enrolled at the nearest DepEd school division between June and November, and attended the ALS sessions where they are given (or allowed to photocopy) modules for self-learning. In some centers, teachers or facilitators conduct reviews for the A&E test which is given in February every year.

A&E exam results are usually out in May, just in time for ALS graduates to enroll in college or apply for overseas jobs because now they have a high school diploma.

Out of 35,404 takers of the high school A&E test this year, 10,887 passed, according to the DepEd website.

ALS Quezon City division coordinator Alejandra Mondoñedo has seen the program grow from a literacy-cum-livelihood project in the 1970s to what it is today: An alternative and practical option which allows school dropouts to complete elementary and high school education outside the school system.

Mondoñedo, who turned 65 this year, remembers supervising vocational courses, like cooking, cosmetology and sewing, at the Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science and Technology High School on Roces Avenue in Quezon City.

A million stories

“Our students in the past were mostly working mothers and maids. When they enroll, they not only learn a skill, like cooking, how to give a manicure and pedicure, we make sure they also learn how to read and write,” Mondoñedo says.

A devoted teacher, she has a million stories about her “alaga”, which is what she calls the students she has met and helped through the years. They include men and women in their 20s and 30s who are too embarrassed to go back to regular school, young stars -- some of whom would come straight from taping at nearby ABS-CBN or GMA 7 -- maids, seamen, sidewalk vendors and yes, even children of congressmen.

She shares some of their stories with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

“Vicente,” 38, has left the country many times to work as a seaman. But in 2005, he was asked to get off the ship. Reason: The company found out he had a fake high school diploma.

Mondoñedo says it was Vicente’s wife who first came to see her to ask about enrolling a family member in ALS.

“I asked if she had brought her son. She was not answering. Finally, she said, ‘Ma’am, hindi anak. Asawa ko po ang mag-aaral. Nasa labas siya. Ayaw pumasok at nahihiya. Baka daw siya ang pinakamatanda sa klase (It’s not my son, it’s my husband who will go to school. He’s outside. He doesn’t want to come in because he’s ashamed to be the oldest one in class),’” she recalls.

Mondoñedo suggested then that the couple first observe the class. When Vicente saw there were four other people in their 30s, he decided to enroll.

“He made five good friends. Only three passed the A&E test. Vicente was one of them. But he was not able to attend the graduation because he already got a job as a seaman,” she says.

Amelia

Then there’s the story of Amelia, who became pregnant when she was in third year high school. She was 24 years old and a working mother of two when she realized that in order to get a good job, she needed a college degree. But in order to go to college, she had to finish high school. She, however, didn’t want to go back to regular school. She would feel out of place with classmates 10 years her junior.

She enrolled in ALS at the Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science and Technology High School and would sometimes bring one of her children to class because she couldn’t find a baby-sitter. She passed the A&E test in 2005 and is currently enrolled at the Jose Rizal University taking up marketing.

In appreciation, she wrote a testimonial to the ALS, which Mondoñedo showed the Inquirer: “I’m very thankful for programs helping people who cannot afford to go to regular school. People who [have lost] their hopes and dreams because of wrong actions. I also thank our beloved teacher whose patience and support [enabled] students to reach their goals,” Amelia wrote.

Then there’s Roberto, 25, a TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority)-trained beautician who has won a lot of hair competitions. He was so good with hair, he caught the attention of Ricky Reyes who hired him as a trainer in his beauty school.

Roberto, a third year high school dropout, had a sibling working in Ireland, who wanted him to work there as well. But because Roberto didn’t have a high school diploma, he couldn’t apply for a job.

His case was referred to Mondoñedo by another hairdresser she had helped. Roberto attended the ALS sessions, passed the A&E exam last year and is now preparing to leave for Ireland because he landed a job as a beautician in a hotel.

Laurence

There’s Laurence, who was 36 when she first enrolled at ALS. She had already worked seven years as a domestic helper in Taiwan. She came home, used part of her savings to take a six-month care-giving course so she could go back to Taiwan and work there, this time as a caregiver. She passed the required TESDA exam, but she couldn’t get a job abroad without a high school diploma.

She heard about the A&E test, took it without attending the ALS and failed. The following year, she attended the ALS sessions, took the A&E test and this time, she passed.

“We also had a sidewalk vendor, who would leave his basket of Chippy and Storck outside the room and attend the sessions. He wants to become a barangay tanod and one of the requirements was a high school diploma,” Mondoñedo says.

Show biz folks

Then, of course, there are the show biz folks. Actor Mat Ranillo III enrolled at least two of his children in the ALS on Roces Avenue. Alma Moreno enrolled one of her kids in the ALS in Parañaque City.

Angelika de la Cruz was an ALS student in Malabon and passed her A&E test in 2003. Janus del Prado was an ALS student at Roces and passed the A&E test in 2005.

“Janus was a good student. He made friends, attended birthday parties and even brought food,” Mondoñedo says, adding that sometimes, their school can be as star-studded as the two networks nearby.

But not all show biz personalities finish the course or pass the exam, she notes. Those who stay long enough to graduate realize that show biz is fleeting and that sooner or later, they would need another profession.

Need for diploma

“We’ve had hotel singers, band members, even ‘Japayukis’ who have attended ALS. They dream of becoming professionals. To reach that goal, they would need a high school diploma,” she says.

It doesn’t matter why they stopped school, if they work or stay at home, not even if they’re rich or poor. Mondoñedo believes they can get a high school diploma if they study hard and attend the ALS sessions.

A few years ago, the school principal, who was then new, called her attention to an ALS student who came to school in dreadlocks and wore earrings.

“The principal told me: ‘Can you please ask him to cut his hair and not to wear earrings to school? It’s not the correct dress code,’” Mondoñedo narrates.

“Sabi ko pag pinutulan mo ’yan ng buhok, wala na siyang livelihood (If we ask him to cut his hair, we would be depriving him of his livelihood). After class, he goes straight to Timog and plays with a band.”

(For information on DepEd’s Alternative Learning System, 635-5193 and 632-1361 loc. 2083.)
By Elvira Mata - Inquirer

Move to defer bgy. polls shot down

By: Bernadette E. Tamayo - Journal
SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. rejected a proposal from the House of Representatives to postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections from the fourth Monday of October this year to the second Monday of October in 2008.

He said the people should not be deprived of their right to pass judgment on barangay and SK officials and to elect their replacements for the good of the community.

“The elections should be held as scheduled. It’s not good to allow bad barangay and SK officials to have a free ride for roughly another term while the good ones deserve a renewal of their mandate,” Pimentel said.

The deferment of the twin elections is contained in House Bill 6116, filed by Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, who said the government cannot afford to spend a huge amount of money less than six months after the mid-term congressional and local elections last May 14.

Gullas said the barangay and SK elections will cost anywhere from P2.8 billion to P3.3 billion. Only P2 billion is earmarked under the 2007 national budget.

Pimentel however said money should not be made as an excuse to postpone the elections.

“In the first place, the Arroyo government keeps on saying that the inflow of government revenues has substantially improved due to the implementation of
tax reforms,” he said.

He said the Commission on Elections should make do with the P2 billion funding and adopt measures to minimize the cost of the political exercise. Local government units may also be requested to help defray the cost of the elections out of their Internal Revenue Allotment.

He said the postponement of the SK elections has brought about an awkward and anomalous situation where incumbent youth council officials are way above the 15 to 17 age bracket.

“It is unfair for the people to let village officials stay in office without the benefit of election even if they are not discharging their duties properly, or worse, taking advantage of their office for personal gains,” Pimentel said. “Any deferment of the elections and consequent extension of term will be seen as a reward for the barangay and SK officials for favors that they might have done for the administration, especially in past political exercises.”

GMA signs anti-red tape bill

New law seeks to prevent graft, impose stiff penalties

By GENALYN D. KABILING

President Arroyo has signed Republic Act No. 9485, a law that seeks to cut bureaucratic red tape, prevent graft and corruption, and impose stiff penalties on violators, Malacanang said yesterday.


RA 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, signed last June 2, adopts simplified measures to expedite transactions in all government agencies, including local government units and government-owned and-controlled corporations.

The new law requires government offices to adopt fixed deadlines for the completion of transactions and regularly assess and upgrade their frontline services. It also makes heads of government agencies, accountable to the public in rendering fast, efficient, convenient, and reliable services.

"Towards this end, the State shall maintain honesty and responsibility among its public officials and employees, and shall take appropriate measures to promote transparency in each agency with regard to the manner of transacting with the public," the law read.

The passage of the anti-red tape law comes amid international surveys showing the foreign perception of the Philippines as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

Surveys have shown a high level of concern that the unnecessary complexity of procedures and delay in implementing them have created rolls of red tape in the country.

Under RA 9485, government agencies are required to work on any application for any privilege, right, permit, reward, license, concession, or for any modification, renewal or extension within five working days in simple transactions and 10 working days in complex cases.

The number of signatories in any document will be limited to a maximum of five signatures, which represent officers supervising the office.

Any denial of application shall be fully explained in writing to the client within five working days from receipt of request.

If an agency fails to act on an application or request for renewal of permit, license, or authority, these shall automatically be extended until a decision or resolution is rendered on the application for renewal.

The law also requires government agencies to do regular time-and-motion studies, and undergo evaluation and improvement of transaction procedures.

Government offices must likewise establish their service standards or a Citizen’s Charter in the form of information billboards.

The billboards, posted at the main entrance of offices, will list the procedures, the persons responsible for each step, the maximum time for each step, the documents and fees required in each step, and the procedure for filing complaints.

They will also set up a public assistance/complaints desk in all their offices, while all employees shall be provided with an official identification card which should be visibly worn during office hours.

All agencies providing frontline services shall be subjected to a report card survey to be initiated by the Civil Service Commission (CSC), in coordination with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).

Under the law, violators will be punished and fixers held criminally liable while whistleblowers will be granted immunity.

Light offenses -- such as refusal to accept or act on applications or requests, attend to clients or render services, or imposing additional irrelevant requirements -- will merit a 30-day suspension on the first offense; a threemonth suspension on the second; and dismissal and disqualification from public service on the third.

Grave offenses, such as "fixing" or colluding with "fixers," will merit dismissal and perpetual disqualification from public service.

"Fixers" face a maximum of six years’ imprisonment or a fine of R200,000.

The law takes into effect 15 days following its publication in two national newspapers. Those performing judicial, quasi-judicial, and legislative functions are excluded from the coverage of this Act.

The CSC, in coordination with the DAP, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, shall promulgate the rules and regulations within 90 days from effectivity of the law.

The story of the Philippine flag

THE Philippine flag is the ultimate symbol of our democracy and sovereignty. It stands for the collective resistance of the Filipino nation against its oppressors, past and present, in the battle for freedom and national identity. The Philippine flag also symbolizes unity among the Filipino people, bridging all economic, social, educational and geographic distances that separate us all.

To celebrate the meaning and purpose of the Philippine flag, the period of May 28 up to June 12 was declared National Flag Days, in accordance with RA 8491 or the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines. And there’s no better way to celebrate this national symbol than to explore its evolution and history.

The early version of the Philippine flag was the banner of the Kataastaasang, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan (KKK) or Most High and Most Sacred Society. The background is red and the letters are color white. The first design contains three “K”s aligned horizontally. It was called the Flag of the Revolution. In the second design, the three “K”s were arranged in an equilateral triangle. The third design contained only one “K” at the center. The red background stands for the revolutionary character of the Katipunan.

The next version of the Philippine flag was used by Gen. Mariano Llanera in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija. It’s called “Bungo ni Llanera” because it contained a skull with crossed bones. The flag has a black background and according to stories, Llanera derived the design from the Katipunan initiation rite which uses a black hat, white triangle and the letters Z, Ll and B.

Pio del Pilar’s flag or Bandila ng Tagumpay was used on July 11, 1895 and has stood witness to many battles. It has a red background and a white triangle with three “K”s in each corner and a rising sun in the center. The sun has eight rays, representing the eight provinces that revolted first.

The next version, Bonifacio’s flag, was made by female members of the Katipunan before the revolution. It was used in the Cry of Pugadlawin on August 23, 1896 and on the Battle of Pinaglaban in San Juan del Monte seven days later.

The Katipuneros of Cavite, particularly the chapter led by Gen. Aguinaldo, used the Magdiwang flag. They used this up to the time the Pact of Biak-na-Bato was signed.

The first official revision of the Philippine flag took place after the 1897 Naic Conference presided by Aguinaldo. The background was red and the sun at the center of the flag has a face. Gregorio del Pilar’s flag was the first to use three colors -- red, blue and black. The design was said to be patterned after the flag of Cuba, which was in revolt against Spain during that time.

The present flag has adapted features from the previous versions of the Philippine flag. The first model of the present Philippine flag was sewn by Marcela Agoncillo, her daughter Lorenza and Mrs. Delfina Natividad, niece of Rizal. The flag was made at the Agoncillo residence in Hong Kong at the request of Gen. Aguinaldo. He brought the flag back to country on May 19, 1898, in time for the proclamation of our independence.

Gen. Aguinaldo waved this flag six weeks after the Battle of Manila Bay, along with the proclamation of Philippine Independence and the playing of the national anthem. On March 25, 1936, Pres. Manuel L. Quezon issued an executive order setting the standard size and colors of the flag.

It is in remembrance of our heroes and our fight for freedom that we celebrate National Flag Day and Independence Day every year. The Philippine flag, as the symbol of the Filipino nation, is revered and celebrated as a way of thanking our heroes for their efforts.